


Eye Of The Storm

by BlackVelvet42



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Honeymoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 11:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17487419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackVelvet42/pseuds/BlackVelvet42
Summary: "True to its reputation and in contrast to their expectations, the place had offered them an enjoyable start to their honeymoon."





	Eye Of The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you Caladenia and Killermanatee for all your time and energy in helping me turn a dream into a real story. And thank you Caladenia for the gorgeous moodboard <3<3<3

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The fountain at the center of the plaza was truly a masterpiece.

Defying the artificial gravity, the water pillar began building from the smooth surface of the pond, climbing gradually taller and taller until almost touching the glass mosaic dome high up above. After glimmering there in the light of the sun for a while, the pillar then dropped down and calmed, only to start the cycle again.

There was something utterly soothing in the perpetual motion of the water, hypnotic even. Like a magnet, it kept drawing her attention back and filling her with a serenity quite unexpected in a public space bustling with people from all over the quadrant.

Then again, the main reason for her state of mind probably lay on her finger, the weight and feel of the diamond ring still new enough to steal her thoughts and bring a silly smile to her lips every time she glanced at its shine.

Kathryn scanned over the bright and spacious central square, lined with colorful shops and cafés offering a variety of exotic delicacies to the equally diverse groups enjoying their stay.

Still no sign of Chakotay.

He had been so secretive before he had left. Flashing her a disarming, dimpled smile, he had only told her that he needed some time to himself, suggesting she might enjoy a full body massage while he was away. And although beginning their honeymoon apart wasn't what she had planned, the spark in his eyes promised her patience would be rewarded later.

Besides, it wasn’t like they were in any kind of hurry.

Surrounded by the simulated peace of an old town square, forgetting the true nature of the establishment was easy.

In reality, the harmonious idyll was only one section of over a hundred, on a space station renown throughout the quadrant for quality entertainment. Designed to fulfill every desire imaginable, the place was popular beyond belief and occupied by tens of thousands of guests every moment of the day. It wasn’t their actual destination, only a stopover, but since the flights to the paradise planet below were delayed, they’d decided to make the most out of the estimated two hours of waiting.

True to its reputation and in contrast to their expectations, the place had offered them an enjoyable start to their vacation.

The treatment with hot stones and herbs in the skilled hands of a four-armed masseur had been remarkably luxurious, something she would never normally indulge in. In fact, she couldn’t remember when she had last floated in a state of complete idleness and relaxation so deep she had lost all track of time.

Hoping the place would grant her another pleasant surprise, she stepped inside one of the charming little cafés to see if they served actual coffee she would approve of. The place wasn’t full, but the number of people rushing toward her and a gush of hot air from the kitchen evoked a sudden uneasiness she couldn’t define, and she backed out again.

Deciding to wait for Chakotay instead, she headed for a walk along the shops.

After seven years in the Delta Quadrant and the months of hassle upon their return, taking time off from duty was a welcome respite. Before making any more long-term plans and commitments, they needed the distance and the chance to breathe and think.

They had been offered an entire week off, but due to Chakotay’s suggestion, they’d settled for five days. And he was right, of course. By the third day, she would no doubt get restless like he had anticipated, eager to return to work no matter how newlywed they were or how delightful their uninterrupted time together turned out. He knew her well.

She stopped at an antique store she remembered passing by once, maybe twice before.

Among other merchandise, the shop window displayed a timepiece from early twentieth century Earth. Such a peculiar item to find so far away from home, but obviously something the alien shopkeeper valued enough to keep on display.

After admiring the delicate carvings on the dial plate and wondering the sensation of familiarity it brought her, she concluded the pocket watch was broken. Despite the seconds ticking by, time overall didn’t appear to be advancing.

Pity. A piece of Earth’s history was precisely the kind of gift Tom would have appreciated and she needed some way to express her gratitude for his help.

Keeping their wedding a secret had required quite an effort. The public attention on the relationship of Voyager’s command team had been overwhelming, eyes following their every step without a moment of peace. Lucky for them, Tom had excelled in handling the media, including feeding them with false information about the date and place of the wedding.

In the end, they’d managed to sneak from Earth’s orbit before the congratulations had started pouring in through the subspace channels.

The press had been quite disappointed - downright annoyed, really - of being robbed the opportunity to disclose the event of the century, as their marriage had been labeled. Some had suspected hidden reasons to why they’d settled on a small wedding, even a possible pregnancy was mentioned. The people closest to them, however, had understood their decision well.

For a long time, she and Chakotay had only been captain and commander. Any personal wishes had been pushed back and ignored as secondary to serving the needs of others, their dreams for the future postponed until duties and promises had been fulfilled.

After all the sacrifice and uncertainty, this was their time.

She waited for the crowd to clear around her and glanced over the square again. With him nowhere in sight, she sat down next to the pond and stretched out her legs, letting go of the thought that it really wasn’t like him to keep her waiting.

For a split second, the mist from the fountain reminded her of smoke and the roar of the water sounded louder and somehow urgent, but once she blinked, the impression was gone.

Bathing in the warmth of the sun filtering through the glass dome, the gentle splashing of the water filling her ears, all worries soon melted away.

Instead, her mind flooded with images of the tropical island waiting for them down on the surface. Long white beaches, stunning waterfalls, and hot springs, all calling to share moments of passion with clear blue skies and vibrant sunsets as a background in the absolute privacy and anonymity guaranteed to anyone visiting the planet.

A pleasant shiver moved down her spine as she wondered how many times they would make love during their stay. In how many places. And how exhausted they would be on the flight back home.

Fiddling with her ring, she couldn’t help smiling to herself again and sighing at another memory.

After the ceremony, unable to contain his joy, Chakotay had scooped her into his arms and spun her around like they were sixteen again, letting her down only to kiss her long and deep. Ignoring the whistles of the guests, he had trailed his fingers down her back left bare by her white dress, murmuring his endless love and devotion. Then he had deepened her blush by adding in a voice so low that no one could hear, that by the end of the week, he planned to have learned every curve of her body - with his tongue.

As if she was reliving the experience, she could feel his arms around her waist and his breath on her neck, the affection and raw desire of his words spreading from her chest to her core in promise of a lifetime of happiness. His eyes had sparkled like the water in the fountain and her heart had felt as light as it did right now, thousands of light-years away from Earth.

A glass shattering at a restaurant nearby startled her out of her daydream. The scream that followed brought upon her a sense of deja-vu, odd and unfounded like they always were. Combined, the sounds stirred something that almost resembled a flashback of terror, but no sooner had the feeling emerged than it was already fading away.

She shook her head, attempting to regain some clarity.

Something wasn’t right.

The tranquility of her surroundings played in perfect sync with the most precious memories of her life, and she couldn’t shed the bizarre suspicion that she was being guided as what to focus on and what to forget, drawn into a steady haze of contentment without a beginning or an end.

She couldn’t even tell how long she’d been waiting for Chakotay. Ten minutes, maybe an hour? Why was it so hard to keep track of the time and her thoughts in the present?

Gazing at the restaurants, a sudden cold washed over her, ripping apart the last of the soft, lulling harmony she had sunken into. However unexpected and unlikely to have any real basis, it was the kind of sensation she’d come to trust. An intuition of some minor, but fundamental flaw in the fabric of time and space.

Unable to define the source at first, but driven by her growing concern, she reversed the path her eyes had traveled - and saw the girl.

No more than seven years old, the girl was sitting in a café nearby with her parents, a huge dessert in front of her. Not that there was anything exceptional about the girl or the ice-cream-like sweet, but Kathryn remembered the magnificent decoration on top of the dessert had caught her attention before.

A sparkler, burning from the top down, shining in all colors of the rainbow and forming shapes of running horses, jumping dolphins, and flying birds. Each vision glorious and vivid in detail, drawing delighted giggles from the little girl.

Kathryn stepped closer without taking her eyes off the sight.

After burning brightly for a couple of minutes, the sparkler reached the bottom end and began to flicker away, about to leave behind only a charred stick.

But the flames didn’t die.

Without interruption, like a recording on repeat, the sparkler burst into blaze from the top again and the girl’s face lit up, joyous laughter bubbling from her lips at being gifted such a wonderful surprise.

Like a recording… or a cycle of a fountain... or a broken pocket watch, suspended in time.

Refusing to consider the unimaginable, her rational mind sought to make sense of what she had witnessed. The more intuitive part of her consciousness, however, spiraled to the nature of time.

Curious. Ruthless.

Dragging when she wanted it to hasten. Rushing forward when she needed it to stand still. And slipping through her fingers when the future she’d dreamed of was right there to embrace.

“Mrs. Janeway?”

Too numb to wonder why anyone here would call her by name when they were traveling under false identities, she shifted her attention toward the speaker.

She tried to focus her gaze, but the alien had no clear form, its face evading recognition, leaving her vision blurry and her memory empty. Yet its voice was clear as crystal, resonating deep in her chest, gentle and soothing.

“We’re terribly sorry for the delay, Mrs. Janeway. So many departed at the same time. Your turn will come shortly.”

The stranger was gone as quickly as it had appeared, leaving her alone with an uneasiness and a seedling of understanding ready to push past the threshold of awareness.

Mouth dry, she glanced over the surroundings, hoping to find something to ease her racing pulse. Instead, she realized that all motion around her was slowing down, distorted and surreal, until eventually everything froze.

Like a pendulum reaching the zenith before reversing course.

Then a deafening explosion shook the ground under her feet and a blast of hot air threw her off balance. In a heartbeat, the idle, drowsy atmosphere was lost.

“Kathryn! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

Familiar and real, Chakotay was finally there, helping her up to her feet and checking if she was hurt, but somehow the comfort his presence should have given her was too little, too late.

Another explosion hit right after the first, setting off a howl of alarms and transforming the whole plaza into a sea of disarray.

“The station is under attack, they’re evacuating, we need to go now!”

He gripped her arm and began to lead her toward the emergency exits, but the attempt to move through the mass of panicking, shouting people all pushing in different directions only threatened to pull them apart.

Her mind a whirl, striving to adjust to the altered reality, she tried to keep close to him when the next explosion shattered the ceiling, baring the naked stars and endless space above.

The chorus of screams as distant echoes in her ears, she stared at the glass, air, and water from the fountain blow out into space in one roaring stream of life, escaping into the cold void.

Denial and disbelief slowly transformed into understanding and acceptance.

“Chakotay, stop.”

Eyes wild, he turned to her, still clinging to the pointless struggle, persistent in finding a way when all roads had already been blocked.

She brought her hand to touch the side of his face and caressed the greys on his temple, hoping to calm the fight within him. With the world spinning around them, his objection faded into a sigh and he wrapped his arms around her in surrender.

The moment they pressed against each other and let go of the illusion of control, the turbulence around them fell back. In the eye of the storm, everything was clear, the seconds stretching into eternity.

All the years they were meant to have, every day precious and cherished after the long wait, now forever lost.

A tear falling down her cheek, throat choking with the unfairness, her mind reached out to the stars with one last wish.

Not yet.

One more day with him.

Please.

 

* * *

 


End file.
